Poets and Saints by Jamie George

Author:Jamie George
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: All Sons & Daughters;Saint Thérèse;George MacDonald;Saint Augustine;Travel Memoir;Book of Saints;Lives of the Saints;Saint Francis of Assisi
Published: 2016-07-28T01:44:20+00:00

Chapter 6

The Personal God

John Calvin, AD 1509–1564, Geneva, Switzerland

In every nation on the earth this song of ours is rising.

“Creation Sings,” All Sons & Daughters

The following morning, having slept for most of the day and night, Tyler revived. Feeling energetic, he walked toward the twin doors of our hotel-room balcony, flung them wide open, and said, “Wow, Paris looks like an amazing city!”

Jordan and I smiled.

“Yeah, hope you liked it,” Jordan chided. “Time to get on the bus for Switzerland.”

During the ride, a handful of us started discussing the man who has been both villain and hero to many. Born sixty miles northeast of Paris in 1509 and schooled in both law and theology, John Calvin is known today as one of history’s great Reformers of the Protestant faith. In many ways, this Frenchman’s beliefs and logical persuasions were responsible for much of our American way of life. His “legacy has been traced in everything from modern marriage and modern science to modern liberal government and of course modern capitalism. By many accounts, he is a major source of modernity’s very understanding of the self.” 1

In his Ecclesiastical Ordinances, Calvin organized the ministry of the church into four different branches of government and administration. Distancing himself from the absolute authority modeled in monarchy and the papacy, he used the New Testament’s example of organization as a model for checks and balances of power. Calvin’s doctrine influenced not only the church and its leadership but also civil government. “It was Founding Father and the second President of the United States, John Adams, who described Calvin as ‘a vast genius,’ a man of ‘singular eloquence, vast erudition, and polished taste, [who] embraced the cause of Reformation,’ adding: ‘Let not Geneva be forgotten or despised. Religious liberty owes it much respect.’” 2

When we think about the land of the free and the home of the brave, we sometimes forget what it took for us to become an independent nation. A friend of mine, Joel, sings with a band he formed with his brother. They are from Australia. We were watching the Super Bowl together one year, and Joel was so moved by the singing of our national anthem that he had tears in his eyes. His wife and those of us sitting nearby chuckled as Joel remarked, “You Americans and your love for your country!”

As far as nations go, the United States of America is still quite young, and many of our citizens have staved off the cynicism that those in older nations tend to have. I admit I still get a lump in my throat at times when our flag is raised and our values are reaffirmed.

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